West Frisian vegetable and flower seeds are a household name. More than half of the vegetables worldwide originate here. and dThis week people from all over the world come to the region to see the annual innovations. However, it remains unclear to the West Frisians themselves what seed breeding really entails. So the image has to be worked on.
“Many people have the idea that it is mainly work with the feet in the clay, while technology plays an increasingly important role,” explains Carolien Wagenaar of Seed Valley. Let’s say the West Frisian version of Silicon Valley. Because where all tech companies are located there (San Francisco, US), most seed companies are located in West Friesland.
What is seed breeding?
The muddy boots are less common these days than the white coats of people who work in the labs. Because seed breeding is above all also testing, testing and testing again. Looking for seeds that, for example, grow faster, require fewer nutrients and are more resistant to diseases or weather changes.
Climate and food waste play an important role. Take, for example, the lettuce leaf that is exactly fits on a hamburger or the cauliflower which grows in smaller stumps, just to name concrete examples.
But most developments are less visible. This is how Incotec from Enkhuizen makes coatings (layers) around seeds. At first glance, this may not seem so important, but it contains all kinds of nutrients and protective substances, which also make the crops grow more efficiently. And Enza Zaden uses ‘big data’. Growers worldwide share their data about the growth of their vegetables. This makes it possible to see which crop does best under which conditions.
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And then this is just a small glimpse into the seed breeding industry. “I always say that you can do all the work you want here, unless you want to work in healthcare. Crop care, marketing, logistics, IT, laboratory work, administrative work and so on,” says Carolien Wagenaar of Seed Valley .
Worldwide West Frisian seeds
Just a few facts. The West Frisian seeds are exported worldwide to dozens of countries with a total turnover of more than one billion euros. Moreover, the seed companies are one of the largest employers in West Friesland. And the stretch isn’t over yet. “Last year there were more than 353 new vacancies, this year the counter is already at 280”, says Wagenaar. So there is a lot of investment. In 2019 Syngenta still built for almost 40 million euros a new innovation center.
And like every year, in week 39, this week people from the industry from all over the world come to West Friesland to view the new innovations at the many test fields of the seed companies.
Then why is it unknown?
But how is it possible that the average resident actually knows so little about the successful West Frisian seed industry? Carolien Wagenaar of Seed Valley tries to explain it. “It’s just not really in people’s minds. It’s ignorance, and we want to do something about that with Seed Valley.”
Because besides the fact that people know little about it, there is also a great shortage of students and therefore future staff. “The intake is far too low, actually from all educational levels. But the most urgent is now the MBO. We are working on making students at the VMBO more familiar with the sector so that more people opt for a green education.”